Abundance!

So - I was a little overwhelmed with catching up on this blog because I have read sooooooo many great articles and learned some great new things - I didn't even know where to start...so, I thought I would just start with what I've been up to this week, and the rest will fall into place as I type in the days to come :)

This is a brand new week, and I am dedicating it to BEANS. I've already fallen in love with lentils and how easy they are to use in stuff, so I felt that I was up to the challenge of cooking with dry beans. Why beans you may ask? Well because:

Beans beans, they're good for your heart
The more you eat, the more you fart
The more you fart, the better you feel
So eat more beans at every meal!

I TOTALLY couldn't resist that :)

In any case - as a side note - in the 'You On a Diet' book by Dr. Roizen & Dr. Oz (I love you Dr. Oz!)you can read all about farting (tooting, passing wind/gas, flatulating (is that a word?)) and how it works in our digestive tracts...I love that book for all the 'easy-to-understand' info it provides about how our bodies work!

I am allowed to talk about these things because I earned some kind of badge of honour after having spent the last week with the poopiest baby on the planet!

***Side note ended***

So, today, instead of going downtown to the OHIP office (that's our provincial health insurance for any peeps who don't know) and reinstating my coverage like I should be, I was inspired to COOK...OMG I haven't COOKED in FOREVER! And I miss it! I soaked some beans overnight (ok, 'some' is an understatement as I poured out a whole bag of Chickpeas because I thought it didn't look like quite enough for the things I had planned - we are going to be having a TON of hummus at my niece's 1st birthday party this weekend- hahahahahahaha!)and I cooked them this afternoon. And as they were cooking I got a tons of ideas. You can also cook a whole bunch of beans ahead of time and freeze them - this is WAY better for you than buying canned beans which are FULL of SALT and whatever other preservatives-du-jour they throw in there.(lest we forget that the cans are also lined with TOXIC BPA). And, like making your own bread, it isn't hard to do at all - it just takes a bit of time to soak then boil and simmer them - but seriously, how many of you guys sit and watch a couple of hours of TV at night? (I know I never bought dried beans before because cooking them seemed so daunting - it's EASY)

In any case: last week I made navy beans for my sister and her husband as part of their dinner. I wasn't sure how well that would go over so I added butter and garlic - because like chocolate, butter and garlic makes EVERYTHING taste yummy (prime example: escargots - people (not me) eat them with tons of garlic and butter - otherwise, I think no one would eat them because they are yucky SNAILS) - but, my sister would have none of it (of beans nor escargots) but my sweet little baby niece however - ADORED the beans, and my brother in law didn't complain - actually, the leftovers are gone from the fridge - so SOMEONE must have liked them.

My sister then told me that she HATES beans. She said "The ONLY beans I will eat are the baked beans that come in a can." "oh really?" I replied in more of a 'you-just-totally-gave-me-a-challenge' voice than I had intended. So- today, I made the Garbanzo bean chocolate torte for her to have FOR DESSERT and we'll see how much she doesn't like beans now :) I'll keep you posted! To my knowledge, she doesn't read this blog (and if she does: HI CATHERINE!)so, I feel pretty safe sharing my evil plan with you all - mwuahahahaha!

NOTE: to convert the recipe - instead of using a 19oz can of chickpeas - use 2 1/3 cup of cooked chickpeas.

OK, so yesterday, I had McDonald's. I have to admit and confess my sins. The reason I had McDonald's is because I was STARVING and I seriously didn't have any food made up that I could eat in a quick minute, and we were coming in late from a soccer game, and and and and everybody else was doing it!

I feel like, in the world of whole food, I have committed the worst sin imaginable by eating fake food at Mc Donald's. Now, I haven't had MickyD's in AGES - like years - because I a) don't like their food too much to begin with b) it is seriously not good for you c) I lived on an island in the middle of the Atlantic with no McDonald's and d) IT IS SERIOUSLY NOT GOOD FOR YOU! (hellloooooo anyone see "Supersize Me"?)

In any case, although it filled up the hole in my tummy, it didn't taste good at all - and all it was was a bunch of empty calories and fat and salt and sugar and chemicals and CRAP. Then i woke up this morning STARVING for my cereal! So I am guessing that eating well really does pay off...and I've been reading about one way it does: You loose the cravings....

I was reading a super fantastic article in Red (UK) Magazine (May 2010 issue) that talked about being "addicted" to food. When people first came out and starting saying they were "addicted to food", I thought that they were maybe just looking for an easy excuse. It seems to me that a lot of people look for an easy way out for losing weight (magic pills & miracle diets) and/or look for any excuse to explain why they are fat. I am probably venturing into some pretty controversial territory here, but I am just going to say it (and as a fat person, who has been fat all her life, I feel like I can) people are fat because they eat too much (and too much of the wrong food) and don't exercise enough. Well, according to this article and a Dr. Kessler that they quote a lot (he has a book out that I have to read now)- processed food is engineered to be addictive (which makes sense - corporate greediness and all). Lays Chips is probably the only honest product out there with their "Bet you can't just have one" slogan...because you SERIOUSLY can't just have one...because they SERIOUSLY are addictive!

Here is a really good example: Chocolate - if I have organic dark chocolate, I can have a square after a meal and feel (very) satisfied with that. If I have a Snickers bar, I have to eat ALL of it (and since we're being honest here, I am no stranger to the king size bar)- can we imagine why? Because Snickers is actually the PERFECT mix of addictive qualities (they even state that in the article!) Sweet/Salt/Fat/Chewy/Crunchy.

Give it some thought - what's a massive fake-food craving of yours? Chips/crisps? Candies? Deep Fried? Can you skip it for a week (even if it means swapping it for a whole food version?)

Try it...see what happens!

I'm off to puree some stewed tomatoes for the vegetable and chickpea and black bean casserole that I am making up as I go along for tonight (all my cookbooks are in transit, and I feel creative today anyhow!)

Someone please remind me to tell you guys about the product I saw in the supermarket for the LAZIEST consumers EVER! (I might have been one of them in a previous life where convenience mattered above all else!)